Notes / Commercial Description:
Snowblower Ale is a rich Belgian-style pale ale brewed to 6.5% ABV with German Pils, Munich, and Vienna malts. These layers of malt goodness lay the ground work for a beer peppered with spicy yeast flavors and terrifically aromatic hop character. This beer was fermented with two Belgian yeast strains and hopped with Czech and Slovenian hops. Snowblower returns in gloriously updated fashion after a too long hiatus.

User Reviews

Growler shared by Thorpe, thanks. Beer is hazy and light brown with a thin white head of small and tiny bubbles leaving a little lacing on the glass. Carbonation low.

Beer is a straight up homebrewed Belgian strong ale aroma, strong esters from the yeasts and mild sweetness.

The homebrew continues, this tastes like a homebrewed Belgian strong ale, with a moderate to light touch on the front end to an estery sweet midpalate filled with all the stereotypical flavors to a relatively dry finish from a low mash temperature. Beer has a medium body overall and I'd have more on draft, otherwise I'll just skip it.

Pours a moderate brownish color with a white head that sticks around for a bit with a decent amount of retention. The nose brings forward a moderate amount of sweetness and yeasty esters as well as a light spiciness throughout. The flavor is moderately sweet without too much going on. There's a bit of yeast and fruit, but nothing standing out too much on its own. The mouthfeel is decent enough with moderate carbonation and a good body. Drinkability is pretty decent but there's nothing really pulling me back for more.

D- Had this before awhile back at the brewpub, but this is the first real review. I liked it then(not a fan of the style), so I had to give it a shot. This time was not as nice. Very lite head and soda-like carbonation made me feel like I was having the SnowblowerLight version. I think it may have been the batch, but I will try it again if the occasion presents itself.

My glass is filled with a clear copper liquid with lighter, golden highlights. Off-white, thin head doesn't last long or leave lacing. It was hard to get this growler filled without it overflowing constantly, so that may be a factor here.

The flavor is rather light, but refreshing. Fruity, sweet, but almost too sweet by the end of the glass. Seems like it would be better suited for the spring after the "snow blower" has been put away.

Thin, almost watery mouthfeel. No carbonation, but again, this could be a result of the filling. As always, I am glad to try any DFH brew I can get my hands on. I think I may have had enough of this after I finish this growler, though.

Served a light, clear yellow? This is a winter beer? Not what I expected

No head to note, but light to moderate carbonation. Smell was herbal with a hint of something kind of like banana bread. Taste also had the banana bread and a hint of chocolate underneath what tasted like a plain lager. Goes down smooth.

Took some time to figure out what the hell style I was drinking. Once I found out it was a Belgian strong pale it seemed to make more sense and I appreciated it more.

Expectations of a dark, roasty, alcohol monster (like I was at first)? Those expectations will kill this one for you. Know you are getting a Belgian strong pale and enjoy.

Wow DFH hits 0-2 on new beers. This Snowblower and the Fort sub-par, at least they had 60 and 90 on tap as well. The snowblower was my first beer of the night and what a friking let down. Smelled and tasted like a lager with a DMC left over. There was metallic taste in the bittering background and confused malt flavors. I thought I was drinking a light ESB. The 7% wasn't noticeable though. Sub-standard fare whatever I moved on to other beers.

Hmm, not too much to say about this one. Kind of a substandard offering, especially coming from Dogfish Head. My friend & I, who had it at the same time, couldnt figure out what kind of beer it was supposed to be. He guessed an ESB, and I thought it pretty much tasted like the Shelter Pale Ale, maybe a little more bitter.

One thing for sure, it is watery. The bitterness is slight, and only comes through in the beginning. The finish is mostly water. Strange. I might detect some fruity notes in there somewhere, but those are also very slight. I thought this beer smelled wierd - kinda like clay.

Pretty uninspired, and it is a good thing that they decided to make this one an on-tap only offering.

On tap in my garage.
Appearance - It is a very clear moderately carbonated pale golden beer with a solid finger of head on top.
Aroma - Very mild aroma that has hints of clove and banana and a real nice Belgian yeast character.
Taste - First there is a sharp bit of bitterness that lasts for about a second and then there is a refreshing fruitiness that hinges on sour that washes throughout. Finishes ultra clean and slightly sweet and leaves a longing for more.
Mouthfeel and Drinkability - The mouthfeel is much better than the appearance leads me to believe, nothing pale about it. Excellent drinkability on this goes down so smooth at 7% I'm glad I have plenty at home.

A pretty middle of the road beer in my opinion. Pours a murky yellow with minimal head. Slightly spicy aroma. Taste was somewhat boring, sweet, some hops in the finish. Just not all that much there. I fail to see how this really qualifies as a winter brew except for the alcohol, but maybe thats just me. One of the lesser offerings from this brewery in my opinion, but it'd be worth a try, especially if you enjoy this style.

On tap at the BTAH in NYC, as part of their Christmas in July range, I'm getting smarter, going on thursday night, much more civilized, and a much better environment to take down review notes....anyway this one seemed to be brilliantly out of wack...it poured a dull apricot shade, cloudy, with a white head and fine lacing. Loads of grapefruit, anise, gin and citric notes up front. Full of flavor and character, some sourness and bite. Strong stuff with alcohol present. Complexity, boldness and intrigue. Pleanty of personality and warmth to welcome old saint NIck. I think this one might have benefitted from some more time to calm down abit, maybe by Xmass '06...

On-tap at Barcade, Brooklyn.
Golden body with a big fluffy off-white/tan head.
Mild hops in the aroma with subtle spicy notes. Not as spicy as other Belgian strong ales I've tried.
This beer is exceptionally well balanced. I was almost shocked at how balanced it was. As soon as I tasted hops, I got malt, and then hops and then a flavorful spiciness. Some fruit notes come out to play as well. This is a complex tasting brew with excellent balance and, in turn, made for a very drinkable ale.

Overall, I'd say this is a great Belgian strong pale which leans to the mild side of things. It's nice to see a beer of this style that is not over the top. I could easily see other brewers going for a milder Belgian Strong Ale and mess it up by brewing something that tasted watered down or cheap. Not the case with this brew and for that reason it gets great marks.

Enjoyed at The Moan & Dove, Amherst, MA. Presented in a Dogfiesh Head pint glass. Labelled as "The Mound", but IDed as Snowblower by the bartender, so here I review it as such.

Arrives with a 1/2" white head above the golden amber brew, which fades to a thin layer of bubbles, yet still laces nicely. Aroma is slightly fruity pale malt, with some spicing evident. Taste is a spicy pale malt, with little else notable. Mouthfeel and drinkability both good. An acceptable brew, but not the standout I would expect from DFH.

This was counterfilled from tap and sent to me from DFH, 12/03. Maybe I should have tried this sooner; lets see: Pours with a very thin head, and there seems to be a very small bit yeast dregs left in the bottle. Nice color, of a bright copper penny, a little hazy. Smell is rather subdued, a bit like a port wine. Taste is a pleasant blend of caramel malts and raisiny sweetness. And Id be remiss in not mentioning a nice alcohol buzz. Hop bitterness really only appears as an aftertaste. A pretty good American stab at a Belgian.

Looked up in to the screaming black, flakes of white clanking around, before I turned the starter with this one on 1/15/2005. 16-oz. pour in a cut angle pint glass at the Sunset.

Initial tight and abundant ½-inch head settles to a cover of slowly receding soap fuzz; very little lacing but it could be that the glass isn't rinsed enough. Crystal, golden, clear, and mute. Fruity coriander, light floral hop, and lemon peel on nose. Straw, flax, and some orange are the first things noted on tongue, with a trailing bit of hop that smartens things up a bit. Light body and quite crisp; finishes quickly. What a nice surprise to have a winter offering that isn't dark and doesn't go overboard with the spices. Surprised this is as up there in the abv as stated - certainly didn't seem that way.

Had this on tap recently at the local bar. Let me begin by saying that the bar I'm referring to is pretty ballsy for stocking 30 odd taps of micro and international brews in this town. With that said, I wish they'd take a little care of their products. I believe I had this on the tail end of 3 months on the same tap. That will kill any beer. But even so, I remember trying this as soon as it came out, I just didn't write my review then. Anyway, with that preface:
This beer doesn't look or taste like a winter brew. It pours an orangey-yellow with a light white head that didn't really last. The smell is sweet and thin, maybe some small bitter hop smell. The taste is sort of the same. Nothing really jumps out at you, it feels skinny and lacking. Light orange/citrus flavor maybe corriander? Sweety phenolic feel, like a strong ale should have, but... I don't know. It's weak. There really is no spice of which to speak, which I have come to expect and want from a winter seasonal. Small hop bitterness, and no real evidence of alcohol. 7% ? I would have never guessed. Average at best, there's a lot better winter brews out there. Maybe sack the name, give it some uniquely definfing character and release it as a year round.

Fresh from the tool shed! Honey golden in color with an effervescent beginning carbonation which tappered off throughout the beer. A sweet nose and undertones from the belgian-style yeast it held my interest, but the smell also was not long to linger. The taste was appropriate, quite smooth, and a little on the sweet side, no true hops presence made themselves available. With a light mouthfeel it was easy to enjoy both by itself before food and during the meal. The drinkability was surprisingly high, with the Snowblower Ale being the only beer I tried that day, which is a rare occasion in the world of DFH.

A dull hazy amber in color with minimal off-white head. Sparse lacing of the glass. Minimal aromas, cosisting mostly of a slight malty sweetness. Upon tasting, I questioned whether this was a DFH beer. Nothing assertive with this one. Flavor is mostly sweet, with a candied sugar flavor dominating. A bit of a zippy, spicy, peppery flavor right at the end. Medium-bodied, nicely carbonated. ABV well-hidden. Drinkable...but it seemed out of character for DFH. Not meant in a bad way, it was just different.

Hop presence wasn't too strong, nor the malt overly pronounced. There's alcohol in there too, make no mistake, but its so well balanced, with no defects that this slipped down very easliy with my pub fare.

With the temp 'round 20^f, and the wind blowing the same, this was the perfect ale to brace myself from the winter chill!

Cheers to a great BA friend who hooked me up with this special bottled sample.

Sweetish malt and sharp yeast in the nose with a slight metalic finish in the sinus.Slightly cloudy peach colored look in the glass with a white head and lace. The head settles quickly to leave a constant white outer sheen (ring) and lace on the goblet.

A very full malty initally sweet doughy taste. There is then a coriander spicy (pepper) bite that sticks to the tongue in the finish. Quite traditional and shockingly so for a DFH beer. Very solid.

Very full mooth viscous mouth. The malt backbone of the brew wraps the tongue. Quite a drinkable brew. The most to style brew (traditional) beer in their lineup... a good beer!

This strong ale poured a cloudy, reddish amber color with tall, pillowy, off-white foam that persisted a long while and then left some lace. The smell was very modest with just a bit of slightly sweet malt detected. The taste was slightly tangy, with a slight sweetness up front followed by some bitterness in the finish. There was a faint hint of chocolate malt, and a vinous taste. As the glass warmed, a bready flavor came through. The mouthfeel was smooth and creamy with medium body and moderate carbonation. Overall this ale was dry. This was an easy to drink strong ale, though with no bold flavors jumping out.

This was served in an over-sized goblet at Anam Cara.
It poured a deep amber/orange color with a solid off-white head on top. Some sliding and sticky lace lined the glass. The roasted malt body had flavors of fresh brown bread, sweet caramel and a touch of candy sugar. A somewhat citrusy bitterness is followed by a hint of cloves and coriander. As it warms, a bit of orange zest and peppery spices are revealed. The alcohol is well disguised. I just don't know why they gave this a winter-style name.

Enjoyed on tap at Anam Cara Publick House... This was served to me in an oversized wine glass, and looked superb! It was a touch cloudy, and a lovely copper hue. Head was huge, light tan, and frothy. Lasted well, and left decent lacing. Nose was quite bready, with hints of inviting sweetness. Medium body, with a low-carbonation smoothness on the tongue. Easy quaffing! Nicely malty in flavor, with more bready/toasty malt notes as well as candi sugar suggestions and a subtle spiciness. Found the 7% abv to be hidden fairly well. It was quite tasty, and left me wanting more! Prosit!!

Sampled at Spuyten Duyvil, Brooklyn, last night (on tap with DFH Au Courant). Aroma was unusual with traces of alcohol and sweetness/perfume. Mid-amber in colour, some richness - but not too much; butterscotch in there too. Not as distinctive as the Au Courant, but nevertheless a pleasant and quite bold ale.